Tanya Gets a New Chance
by NOAA-025
Summary: As Tanya continues to fight for the Empire, Being X insists that Tanya will be saved. No matter the cost to Tanya's sanity.


"This is a total disaster" I thought. What else can one say when their assets were about to be liquidated. Oh sure, technically, the Imperial Empire has only lost some of its original land, but every Imperial soldier knew that it was over. When we heard, "We've lost the Rhine river," that was the nail in the coffin for us. We were down to using fifteen-year-old boys and old men to shore up the front lines! They weren't even being trained properly, sometimes given only four weeks of accelerated training.

The Russy Federation on the east was at the doorstep of the original Imperial border. The Commonwealth liberated the Entente Alliance in the north. The Kingdom of Ildoa backstabbed us to the south. And last, but certainly not least, the Francois Republic to the west, manned by the Free Republic, Commonwealth, and Unified States soldiers.

I had the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion, but at this point it was a paper tiger. Lieutenant Serebryanekov had her left arm and leg blown off over the Rhine. She was the only one I could have considered an actual friend. She could bring out as much decent taste from ersatz coffee as she could. She was the only one I would allow anywhere near my personal bubble; there will never be another adjunct like Serebryanekov.

In reality, 203rd was down to a mere company at this point. To be honest, besides me, the others weren't first rate soldiers that I was used to. They were better termed as cannon fodder. Don't get me wrong, I've always wanted the 203rd to protect me; but the poor sods looked like they were going to keel over at the first sign of anti-air fire.

Zettour talked to me last week to discuss how to best end this war. He brought up the point that the only country not demanding I be tried for war crimes was the Russy Federation. Instead, they wanted me there for asylum protection. I think Zettour was surprised how vehemently I shot down that idea. I shudder to think what the Russies would consider "protection." Even the Unified States wanted my head after I killed their precious poster child Mary Sue. I mean, really, she was trying to kill me over the Rhine babbling about avenging her father! What did they expect me to do, invite her over the lines for coffee and biscuits and talk things over diplomatically?

Zettour and I eventually talked about how to end the war on our best footing when he brought up that a large section of the civilian population still wanted to continue fighting, drunk from the great army's conquests three to four years ago. I told Zettour that if the Empire wanted to keep a semblance of order post-war, an event would have to take place to show the civilians that there was no hope left for victory in this war that the only options remaining were to surrender or die. As soon as I said that, Zettour appeared in a contemplative mood for a minute. "Are you a patriot Tanya von Degureuchaff?" asked Zettour. If that didn't set of alarm bells to anyone, I don't know what would. "Of course," I replied in a somewhat maniac way. I thought that he was questioning my commitment to the state with the surrender or die comment. How could I have been so stupid to say something like that out loud? The war must have done serious damage to my head. He just kept looking at me with his contemplative look. Then he asked, "Will you carry out to the best of your abilities any order I give you?" When he asked me that question, I knew it was truly over for me as I replied an affirmative.

A day later, Zettour gave me a small file containing my orders that the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion was to be the vanguard for Operation Valkyrie. It stated that my battalion was to neutralize enemy artillery observers and take out as many mages and air force units as possible. While this is happening, supposedly, Army Group West will attack with great vigor any salient that happens to occur. We both knew that the 203rd wouldn't take out the enemy artillery observers and certainly not any incoming mage and air force units. And the Army Group West attacking was fictional beyond all imagination. We were barely holding the line as it was. This was just a way for command to be able to say that despite all attempts, the Great Army could no longer fight to win.

When I thought about the operation's true objective of getting the remaining Imperial citizens to accept the idea of surrender, it wasn't that bad of a plan. I can already see the headlines describing that despite the Great Army's best efforts to retake the Rhine river from the Republic, it just wasn't meant to be. Not only that, but the sole living recipient to receive the Silver Wings Assault Badge with oak leaves and swords was killed in battle. The propaganda personnel will slyly encourage the thinking that the war started with Tanya, and the war should end with Tanya. The home front would be completely devastated that their famous ace of aces, who led victories beyond all expectations, has died in battle.

Really, this is a very good logical plan that I normally would wholly support. The idea of ending the war with minimal casualties so that one can go back to civilian life and countries can go back to peace-time mode. The only problem is that I'm the one who's dying! How could it have come to this? Every major action or decision I took was to increase my probability of living past this stupid war. Why do I have to be the martyr so everyone else can go back to their way of living?

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't abandon my station. Zettour had at least been kind enough to allow me the option that I could go to the Russy Federation. I still have no idea why they would want to give me of all people asylum when everyone else wants me dead. Probably just to torture me. Also, if I abandoned my station, where would I go? I would be continuously hunted until someone captured or assassinated me. What's the point of living like that? So, my choices were to be a Russy prisoner, die a coward's death, or die as an ace of aces over the Rhine river.


End file.
